LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 80th Birthday of The Reverend
Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., and paying tribute to his life and
accomplishments

WHEREAS, From time to time we take note of certain individuals whom we
wish to recognize for their valued contributions and to publicly
acknowledge their endeavors which have enhanced the basic humanity among
us all; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to
commemorate the 80th Birthday of The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King,
Jr., to pay tribute to his life and accomplishments, and to celebrate
the 23rd Anniversary of the observance of his birthday as a National
Holiday; and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born January 15, 1929, in Atlan-
ta, Georgia, to Alberta and Martin Luther King, Sr., whose maternal
grandfather founded the Ebenezer Baptist Church, which the young Dr.
King would be associated with for most of his life; and
WHEREAS, Following his graduation from high school at the age of 15,
Martin Luther King, Jr. earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse
College in 1948, a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer Theological
Seminary in 1951, and a doctorate from Boston University in 1955; and
WHEREAS, In 1953, Martin Luther King, Jr. married Coretta Scott who
was an accomplished individual in her own right as a talented singer and
a graduate of the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music; from
this union came four children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice;
and
WHEREAS, One year later, Martin and Coretta King arrived in Montgom-
ery, Alabama, where he assumed leadership of the Dexter Avenue Baptist
Church; and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s leadership skills would be put to
the test in early December of 1955, when Rosa Parks' refusal to remove
herself from her seat in the Whites-Only section of the city bus trig-
gered the 382-day Montgomery Bus Boycott, the first great negro nonvio-
lent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The bus boycott, which ended December 21, 1956, when the
Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the laws requiring segregation
on buses in the South, propelled Martin Luther King, Jr. into the
national spotlight; and
WHEREAS, In 1957, Martin Luther King, Jr. was elected President of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization formed
to provide new leadership for the burgeoning civil rights movement,
drawing their ideals from Christianity and strategy of nonviolent
protest from Gandhi; and
WHEREAS, At great danger to themselves, Martin Luther King, Jr. and
his allies in the Civil Rights Movement used nonviolence to call atten-
tion to the racial inequities that were pervasive throughout the South,
as well as to call for full voting rights for African-Americans; and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s commitment to racial equality was
laid out in dramatic fashion on August 28, 1963, before 200,000 Ameri-
cans of all races and from all corners of the country; his well-known "I
Have A Dream" speech, where he spoke of a Nation that would "rise up and
live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-
evident, that all men are created equal," and where his four little
children would "one day live in a Nation where they will not be judged
by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"; and

WHEREAS, Because of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dedication and
commitment to racial equality, today, in the 21st Century, his dream has
become a reality with the monumental election of Barack Obama as Ameri-
ca's first African-American President; and
WHEREAS, The Nobel Committee recognized both Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
work as a civil rights leader and his moral stance against racism with
the 1964 Nobel Prize for Peace at the age of 35, making him the youngest
recipient of this prestigious honor; and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr. also saw beyond race to address
important issues that affected all Americans, regardless of the color of
their skin, including the Vietnam War, economic injustice, and labor
issues; and
WHEREAS, By 1967, he had plans to initiate a Poor People's Campaign to
bring much-needed attention to the issue of poverty; it was on this
unforgettable date, April 4, 1968, that Martin Luther King, Jr. was in
Memphis, Tennessee, to support the black sanitation workers who were on
strike, when he was assassinated; and
WHEREAS, Just as Gandhi had inspired Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so
did his words inspire Nelson Mandela as well as hundreds of thousands of
black South Africans to fight against the system of apartheid until it
too was destroyed; and
WHEREAS, Today, four decades after his death, Dr. King's commitment to
racial equality and his tireless efforts to make this country "one
Nation, ... indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" is still
remembered not just by young and old Americans alike, but by men, women
and children around the world, who study his work, and his words, and
are moved to action by his declaration that "injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere"; and
WHEREAS, A moving example of the high regard with which Dr. King is
held globally is at London's Westminster Abbey, where his statue, along
with those of nine other 20th Century martyrs, adorn the west front end
of this venerable cathedral; and
WHEREAS, Upon the occasion of the observance of the 80th Birthday of
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this Legislative Body wishes
to commemorate the lifelong struggle of the man who wanted to be known
as a "Drum Major for Peace"; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 80th Birthday of The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King,
Jr., and to pay tribute to his life and accomplishments; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the New York State Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Legisla-
tive Caucus, and to the family of The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther
King, Jr.